The Country’s First Model Building for People with Autism Handed Over

Hungary’s first model building and knowledge center for people with autism was inaugurated in the capital’s 13th district on Tuesday.

Anikó Nagy, director-general of the Heim Pál National Pediatric Institute, called the completion of the building a significant professional milestone, as the knowledge center and the model building were built specifically to meet the needs of people with autism. She said that the model house will provide an opportunity to support families in their daily lives in a space that is ideal for them, while the conference room will be used for coaching parents and training courses.

Szilvia Szijjártó-Nagy, president of the Together for Autism Foundation, said that the organization aims to make the everyday lives of people with autism spectrum disorders more liveable. The result of this work is the Autism Sample House, opened in spring 2022, after years of fundraising work, and the new model building and knowledge center. She stressed that

today, 1 in 15 Hungarian families is affected by autism, hence many people have to cope every day with the support and special needs of a family member with autism, even in everyday life situations such as shopping, medical examinations, or community activities.

“For this reason, social education is one of the primary goals of the foundation,” she added.

István Szeleczki, Head Therapist at the Autism Diagnostic and Therapeutic Center of the Autism Sample House, said: the aim of the sample is to show how to create an ideal environment for children with autism, based on their needs, in order to reduce anxiety and tension and to make both the child and the parent feel comfortable.

He explained that the building is a unique initiative because its autism-specific accessibility allows families to experience in everyday situations how their child with autism can use the tools of everyday life and how the child can learn to use objects.

Families who apply will be able to try the flat for a week in a residential setting, with professionals providing mentoring and advice on how to deal with a particular behavior or situation.

The concept of the Autistic Model House, providing both complex diagnostic and therapeutic services, was developed in December 2020, by the Heim Pál National Pediatric Institute and the Together for Autism Foundation. Since the opening of the building in 2022, more than 1,400 requests have been received for autism-specific screening and almost 900 children have received care including medication, diagnostic testing, counseling for parents, as well as family and educational therapy. Currently, 70 children are undergoing complex physiotherapy and have so far participated in around 300 hours of assessment, group, and individual development.

Via MTI, Featured image via MTI/Lakatos Péter